What dealers charge to “process” your paperwork — and where they’re legally capped.
A documentation fee (doc fee) is charged by every dealership for preparing your title and registration paperwork. The actual cost to produce is $25–50. In states with no cap, dealers charge $500–$1,200. This table shows every state’s cap (or common range), plus the base sales tax rate on new vehicles.
| State | Doc Fee | Capped? | Sales Tax |
|---|---|---|---|
| AlabamaAL | $485 | No cap | 4.0% |
| AlaskaAK | $150 | No cap | 0% |
| ArizonaAZ | $410 | No cap | 5.6% |
| ArkansasAR | $129 | Capped by law | 6.5% |
| CaliforniaCA | $85 | Capped by law | 7.25% |
| ColoradoCO | $300–$600 | No cap | 2.9% |
| ConnecticutCT | $300 | No cap | 6.35% |
| DelawareDE | $299 | No cap | 0% |
| FloridaFL | $899–$1,295 | No cap | 6.0% |
| GeorgiaGA | $499–$699 | No cap | 4.0% |
| HawaiiHI | $250 | No cap | 4.0% |
| IdahoID | $299 | No cap | 6.0% |
| IllinoisIL | $378 | Capped by law | 6.25% |
| IndianaIN | $200 | Capped by law | 7.0% |
| IowaIA | $180 | Capped by law | 6.0% |
| KansasKS | $499 | No cap | 6.5% |
| KentuckyKY | $399 | No cap | 6.0% |
| LouisianaLA | $425 | Capped by law | 4.45% |
| MaineME | $499 | No cap | 5.5% |
| MarylandMD | $800 | Capped by law | 6.0% |
| MassachusettsMA | $85 | Capped by law | 6.25% |
| MichiganMI | $280 | Capped by law | 6.0% |
| MinnesotaMN | $350 | Capped by law | 6.875% |
| MississippiMS | $499 | No cap | 5.0% |
| MissouriMO | $199 | Capped by law | 4.225% |
| MontanaMT | $299 | No cap | 0% |
| NebraskaNE | $299 | No cap | 5.5% |
| NevadaNV | $499 | No cap | 6.85% |
| New HampshireNH | $299 | No cap | 0% |
| New JerseyNJ | $399 | No cap | 6.625% |
| New MexicoNM | $399 | No cap | 5.125% |
| New YorkNY | $175 | Capped by law | 4.0% |
| North CarolinaNC | $599 | No cap | 3.0% |
| North DakotaND | $199 | No cap | 5.0% |
| OhioOH | $250 | Capped by law | 5.75% |
| OklahomaOK | $299 | No cap | 4.5% |
| OregonOR | $200–$250 | Capped by law | 0% |
| PennsylvaniaPA | $389 | No cap | 6.0% |
| Rhode IslandRI | $299 | No cap | 7.0% |
| South CarolinaSC | $225+ | No cap | 5.0% |
| South DakotaSD | $299 | No cap | 4.2% |
| TennesseeTN | $599 | No cap | 7.0% |
| TexasTX | $225 | No cap | 6.25% |
| UtahUT | $299 | No cap | 6.1% |
| VermontVT | $99 | No cap | 6.0% |
| VirginiaVA | $299 | No cap | 4.15% |
| WashingtonWA | $200 | Capped by law | 6.5% |
| West VirginiaWV | ~$575* | Capped by law | 6.0% |
| WisconsinWI | $299 | No cap | 5.0% |
| WyomingWY | $299 | No cap | 4.0% |
| Washington DCDC | $299 | No cap | 6.0% |
* West Virginia’s doc-fee cap is set by the Insurance Commissioner under W. Va. Code §17A-6-18a; the statute confirms a cap regime exists, but the current CPI-adjusted dollar amount isn’t independently published by an official source — the figure shown is industry-reported. South Carolina’s $225 is a state filing/review threshold, not a legal maximum — dealers can and do charge more. Texas has no fixed statutory cap; $225 is the presumed-reasonable filing threshold, not a hard ceiling. Full citations: docs/data-sources/state-citations.md.
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